Blue Moon
by pantedgieQueen13
Summary: A SONIC UNLEASHED fanfic. Don't kill me for being inaccurate! I wrote this before the game came out! Okay? Sheesh! I own Beth, Elicia, Solomon, and Vapira. Full fancharacter list will be at the end of the last ch. not yet uploaded ! Enjoy!
1. Prelude: Confession

Prelude: Confession

_To those I startle by communicating in writing, I apologize. It's been…quite a while._

_There were events that you might tend to think me crazy for. Events that none of you-thank whatever being is watching over me-will remember happened. I'd like to think I don't have to tell you, but confessions are mainly about things we never wish others to know. This is for the benefit of all those involved (you don't know it-again, thank the superior being), and for all those I love or have ever loved, and for all of my friends, who unknowingly worried till they were sick about me. You're more than I deserve, especially after this confession._

_It was a short time ago. Although plenty years have passed since the Great War, where most of us lost our families, at this time, the Great War was all too real…at least to me, and all others involved. Of course, many of you weren't involved, and those from newer or unaffected generations won't know, but I shall attempt to explain._

_The Great War is something we don't like to think about as an intellectual animal species. Especially those-many in number-who lost the lives of friends or loved ones. There were two centers at this time, like looking at a very large yin and yang circle. The white side of the circle represents the main hero of our time; me. There were many who stood by my side, and they are the black circle shrouded in mystery, who aided me when I needed it. _

_At the time, I knew I was the most insurgent of our little group. Not only had the opposing force ruined my life but also my home and the lives of my friends. It was a very personal grudge. The fact that he existed was like a splinter in my eye. It was irritating to me that he existed to cause torment. That, and-now that I wonder about it-isn't it that opposites attract? I'd hate to think of it that way. To even write the words places a permanent scar on my very soul. Oh yes. The man I speak of scratches my very being._

_Dr. Robotnick. Sometimes, he will call himself Dr. Eggman, the name my friends and I branded him with, for he is the chubby yang-the evil-pushing against me. He in himself is insurgent, so we fight against each other. The white circle on the giant representation of yin and yang is the scar I placed upon him. Yes, for although he has been successful at conquering most of the known world, there are parts I keep him off of. Wherever I go, he cannot touch because I will beat him. I am determined to do so until the day one of us dies. The scar I leave with him are his defeats._

_The fault line in the middle of us? You. Namely, all the people not directly involved. Those ignorant to the war, those who come and go, and the… the victims. If my pen slips, forgive me. These words are harder to write than any others._

_Perhaps it is best to continue on. You shall decide for yourself what is truth and fiction in this confession, for only I still know the truth of what happens upon the night of the blue moon. _


	2. Lycanthropy

Lycanthropy

_It always began with a battle. And battles always hurt someone in the end._

_I was only surprised to find out that, this time, it was I who came away injured._

Only darkness, the deep thick black blanket of space, surrounded him. Every so often of course, there would be splatters of white, as if a three-year-old was haphazardly flinging paint onto a black sheet of paper. The soft yellow glow was his own, though, as he dashed about full of warm, golden light.

For a few moments, the eyes were inanimate. Deprived of a soul, lifeless even. It was a job, an obligation. Maybe it had been fun before, but it became a chore now. His eyes, ocher because of the transformation, had not lost the spark they had before. As he flew around, fist out and feet trailing behind him like a stereotypical super hero, he crashed headlong (or feet first, if he decided to kick) into the sides of Eggman's colossal ship.

Lasers flew about, red flashes in the dark, trying to hurt the super powerful hedgehog. Sonic, however, was amply evading every shot and doing ever so much more damage to the sides of the ship, weak compared to its front. The _Eggterprise_ was a strange shaped ship. Sonic unknowingly had time to think of this as his mind wandered; _it looks like a squash!_ Not that he was at all hungry.

Despite a fleeting mind, content to wander off even during an intense battle, Sonic was eternally focused. You might not expect it in one so eternally impatient, but when Sonic set his mind to something, he very nearly often did it, putting every ounce of his soul into it, especially when it included Eggman.

Vaguely as he passed by at hypersonic speeds, the golden superhero noticed a giant laser pointed at the planet, but was more concerned with hitting the correct mark at the neck of the ship, where he'd been skillfully aiming his attacks. Fist forward, he lashed out at the desired spot, coming at it full speed and preparing to ram it. Instinctively, his eyes shut to prevent shrapnel from distorting his vision.

Eggman backed up against the controls, hanging on for dear life as the superhero's impact rocked the ship violently. Only Sonic could stand without losing balance, as everything else, from debris to robots, were shifting from side to side on the ship. His golden smile turned to an amazing, almost godlike grin, as Eggman's eyes grew wide in horror.

"Rodent," the doctor's voice was pleading; not a hiss of distaste, as Sonic was expecting. Instead, wobbling from the shaky gravity, the doctor fell to his knees. "Have mercy, dear boy. Mercy, please."

Sonic's cocky superhero pose slumped a little to become one of suspicion. An eyebrow raised questioningly and the hedgehog's head tilted slightly to one side. "What?" He was expecting a full-blown attack, as usual. Unseen wind wafted through his quills. He wound his fingers around them as they touched his shoulders, thoroughly puzzled.

"My dear, dear, childish rodent," the doctor's voice was an easy placate, though he was reaching subtly for a red button on the control panel… His glasses, which doubled as a sort of aiming device, locked on their confused target. "You have no idea how unguarded you have caught me. Mercy is all I ask. And, as I know you better then you do yourself, you do not lack compassion."

An inaudible growl rumbled in the hedgehog's throat. A sign of warning and knowledge of trickery. But, he was still unprepared for the next action.

Before he could register even surprise, the doctor's finger was on a red button. A laser too fast for an unprepared Sonic caught him up, encasing him in red-orange beams that burned like fire. The glowing hedgehog struggled, growling. "Let me…let me…" Anger, like vomit, rose and flooded his body. It was just as hot and burned his throat.

Eggman laughed as he pulled a lever Sonic hadn't noticed before, and didn't have time to properly observe. Pain, in the form of what felt like millions of sharp needles being drilled into his body, surged throughout until he had no option but to yell. His cry was of confusion and physical pain, a cry of knowledge of deceit as much as anything. Eggman could only laugh.

In an instant, the demigod fell to the ground no longer a superhero but just a regular hedgehog; a child really, wrapping his arms about his shoulders and panting as if he'd just been beaten. He glanced through one eye at the seven chaos emeralds that lay on their sides about him. All were dull versions of their former selves. Voices that had communicated to him in the ancient language he could barely understand were no more.

Eggman had sucked out their energy. Sonic glared with both emerald green flames at the doctor, who was rapidly pressing buttons. "Eggman!" Sonic snarled, forcing his aching body (still feeling as if needles were forced into his nerves) forward. "You'll pay! You'll pay, Eggman!" His voice rose in volume until it was a roar of some sort. The full moon outside, merely a thousand yards away, was suddenly a distraction.

Sonic knew not why. He could feel his body trembling, unconsciously fighting against some inner turmoil. But what? The laser, full of the glowing energy of the chaos emeralds, had blasted at the planet, going through it and hitting its core. During this action, it had awakened some other, more formidable force.

Sonic's anger took over. His injured body gave up resisting. "EGGMAN!" Sonic's snarl became more pronounced, he felt his body change into a different entity entirely. Because of the night around him, he felt his soul pushed aside.

And then, Sonic slept.

What he felt was a rush of air from an airlock, and then a thud as he'd hit the ground. For everything else he was unconscious. That is, until the morning.


	3. The Old City

The Old City

"Oww…" Sonic moaned. His whole body felt as if it had been trampled upon by forty horses running at full speed. "Oww!" He complained, louder this time. He placed his warm hand on the side of his head and moaned into his arm.

Vaguely, still in pain, he looked about him. He was strewn across a forest floor with the faint smell of maple all about him. The air was cooler and it blew his summer coat around his skin, threatening to rip it off. Finding that he could manage to stand, he stood slowly and gasped, placing both arms protectively over his stomach.

"Suddenly, I don't feel so good," he winced, pressing his warm hands against his sides where it hurt most. Slowly, he moved them across his stomach and let them rest there gently. With heat there, whatever was bothering him had stopped now, and he realized vaguely that it had to do with gnawing hunger. He chuckled, shaking his head, and sped off through the trees.

And, what a city greeted his eyes! The streets were blue and white marble and the buildings were gray and black stone. A pair of waterfalls rushing to make water for the city were the main gates and beyond them was a whole three years' worth of buildings, houses, and people. Sonic had to explore further.

Avoiding the massive waterfalls, he entered the city by another route and came upon a busy agora with all sorts of various stands with things for sale. Sonic, intrigued, wandered about aimlessly until a voice surprised him.

"You, blue! De colour of spiridual energy, de trudth, and faith. I sense much uneasiness in you."

The voice in the strange accent made Sonic jump out of his shoes. When he felt balanced again, he turned to the source of the voice.

Strange garments greeted his eyes, as well as a strangely-dressed black wolf and a smaller dark gray wolf in a long skirt, twirling on a stool. "Hi." Sonic smiled, walking over to the black wolf as she beckoned. Sonic was sure the wolf's eyes hadn't been green a few minutes ago. Why were they green now?

"Spirdual energy, trudth, and faidth will not help your disruptions." Her eyes closed, one hand outstretched towards him and the other pressed to her forehead. "I see droubling tings in your fudure. Derrible tings." The outstretched hand, which housed many gold and silver bangles, she now shook and the bracelets clinked together musically.

Sonic appeared confused. The gray wolf looked up from her feet, which she kicked against the stool. "Not from around here? My mom usually doesn't take an interest to outsiders." This wolf's eyes were gold, like harvested wheat. "Call me Beth. My mother likes to go by Tortuga."

"Tortuga?" Sonic scratched his head.

"We're fortune tellers by profession." Beth answered proudly. "Birth right, too." She grinned.

"Be careful, spiridual blue. I see great troubles ahead of you." Tortuga flicked her wrist and the bangles made an off-key sound, at which the wolf opened her eyes. They were a duller gold, but not unlike her daughter's. "Your life is one for sdudy, Sonic." Tortuga then lowered herself to her knees and began to hum, jingling her bracelets quietly.

"Is she okay?" Sonic indicated to Tortuga, lying on the floor clutching at the pavement as if she could bring forth something else from it, her bangles tinkling against the marble.

Beth chuckled. "My mom really gets into fortune telling. I'm not worried about it yet, although I'm a bit frightened." She grimaced, but only for a moment. "Fortune telling is grim. I won't get the job till my mom dies. And, she doesn't see _that_ in her future!" The grimace was gone, the smile returning.

"Right." Sonic was eager to get off that topic. "So…what exactly did Tortuga mean, anyway?"

"She sees something disturbing in your future. I suppose I should see it in you, too. But, all the heroism confuses me…" Bangles on Beth's wrist jingled lightly. She didn't have half as many as her mother. "Never have I read a person so…tied with justice."

"Thank you?" Sonic was confused.

Beth laughed. "Bye, blue!" She waved.

Sonic walked away to see what else there was to do in this city, though the voice of Tortuga rang, or rather echoed, in his head.

"_Spirdual energy, trudth, and faidth will not help your disruptions… I see great troubles ahead of you…"_

_Little did I know the woman Tortuga not only spoke the truth;_

_She spoke a __**nightmarish**__ truth, which we all have had bad dreams about._

_It's always the one where _

_You become the monster you're looking to vanquish._


	4. An Unknown Sensation

An Unknown Sensation

_Well, there it was right before my eyes. Kind of. _

_I saw things then that I never wanted to see ever…being caused by me. What I was watching, I'd known for a long time._

_It was surprisingly natural. Yuck!_

_In this form of sorts, my body was too weak to do anything._

"_Stop!" I protested._

_But that was all I could do._

Sonic felt his limbs moving before he could even think he was awake. He looked out through his already-opened eyes into the darkness. The city was different by night.

A growl came from his own throat as his arms lashed out and smashed a giant black bat in a single hit. He howled and beheaded the creature. Wait, wait, wait. Back it up just a minute.

This blur of blood red fury wasn't him exactly. "Stop!" His voice cried out. But the word only flowed throughout his body as a command, and didn't come from his mouth. Instead, another voice came from it.

"I'm hungry." Insisted the voice. It was a raspy, insistent growl that made Sonic shudder. Yet, it was his own voice…in a strange way he didn't understand.

"Who are you?" Sonic timidly dared to question.

His own body stopped, sniffing with a large, ferocious air. "Ah!" The inner, suppressed Sonic was hit by a strangely pleasing scent. It was the warm, delicious scent of another being.

"No!" Sonic insisted. "Stop!" With a force unknown to him, he gathered all of this restless chaos energy he felt about him and transformed into the demigod Super Sonic. All he could see, feel, sense, taste, touch, even, was the golden warm light that flowed around him.

This inner transformation-plus the force Sonic exerted on his own body-confused whatever creature had possessed his body and he stopped. Now, Sonic felt extremely dizzy and sick, even in a godly form.

As he looked about him, he felt the world turning in dizzying circles of violent reds, blues, greens, yellows, and oranges. Winds, a deep violent purple, attacked him from all sides, ripping at his fur. His stomach felt cramped and strange, as it had when encountering the dead-or fake-chaos emeralds. He shifted around to see a gaping hole in the earth, where millions of Tartarian spawns leapt out of the bowels of the earth, upsetting the balance. With this moment of weakness, the body started moving again.

"Where. Do. You. Think. You're. Going?" Sonic's voice was forced. His stomach felt as if a truck had hit it a billion times over. His lungs could hardly take in any air. His ribs were crushed against his sides.

"I'm starving." Answered the entity inside him. "I need food."

Sonic, still in his demigod form, stretched out his hands for control of his arms. When he felt the nerves in his hands like reins on a horse, he pulled them up ferociously. His body halted with a grunt. Super Sonic was sweating, panting, gasping for air. He felt as if he was breathing in water instead of air. "No. You. Don't." He hissed breathlessly. "Go. Back. To. The. Forest. _Now_." The last word was impossibly bitter.

A snarl came from the body, so powerful that it ripped the control from Super Sonic's hands, and placed it back in the control of the entity, forcing Sonic against a wall of his own ribcage. Super Sonic, fully worn out, became regular Sonic again. The small blue hedgehog panted, softly pleading as he watched the horrible events unfolding. "No. Don't."

The door gave way as his hands thrashed at it. "No." Sonic gasped.

The woman's screams of terror ended with a sharp, windpipe-breaking snap of his powerful jaws over her throat. "No!" Sonic yelped, the sound of his thrashing and panting and chewing deafened him.

He felt the surprisingly warm and filling food calm his wild stomach. But, this food should not be allowed. "_No_!" Sonic wailed, tears falling from his green eyes as he lost control to the monster. "No, no, no!"

_I'm asleep_, He thought. _Just a dream_. He thought.

_Sure. You just keep telling yourself that._ He thought.


	5. Suffering

Suffering

_I guess…oh._

_So much destruction._

_It's true that, as impatient creatures, we don't often see the destruction we ourselves actually do. What damage! If I could ever take any of that back…_

_Life sucks and then you die._

_Yeah, I should be so lucky._

Sonic woke up strewn across the forest floor feeling disoriented. Nothing about him had changed. Except that now, he was full.

Sonic trembled, shivering as if it was freezing cold. He knew all too well what he had done last night, through little fault of his own. "Why?" Sonic snapped at a nearby tree. "Why couldn't I stop myself?" His fist collided with the tree at breakneck speeds. He ignored the possible injury, which sent rivers of pain shooting up his arm and throughout his body. "Ow," Was all he could murmur calmly when the pain reached his brain.

Nothing could compare to murder at all. Sonic examined his limbs, the scrawny limbs of a runner. They were not built to kill. He was strong enough, perhaps, to carry but not kill a body. No, and even so, his conscience was not blind. He was about to blame himself as tears from the taste of blood in his mouth blurred his vision slightly. Why should he tremble, fearing himself? "It can't be," he whispered shakily to the bugs crawling past him in the grass. "I don't remember why…"

He stopped. Part of him _did_ remember. That raspy, snarling voice. _"I'm starving."_ That couldn't have been him. "Well," Sonic amended gently for the sake of truthfulness. "Maybe a little. But…" He sighed, his tears passing now. "Not like _that_. Never!"

Blindly, the hedgehog got up and pressed forward, feeling through his shoes the ground below him. Wasn't it just last night, when he'd looked upon the world and felt something…wrong?

He shook his head, determined not to think about the horrible night he'd had. At the city gates, he looked upward at the cascading falls. What could be done about this? This time, despite his distaste for water, he pushed himself through the falls and into the city in this way.

To his surprise, some sort of magic protected him from getting wet. Therefore, the waterfalls were only a façade. Where the heck _was_ he?

Inside the city walls, it was colder. Sonic shivered violently, but more on purpose than for actual effect. To his extreme dislike, his full stomach made him quite warm. It disturbed him to know it was full of some_one_ instead of some_thing_. They had a full life ahead of them, and in one bite, he'd ended it. He groaned. "I'm horrible."

"Blaming yourself?" A mournful voice he thought he vaguely recognized from yesterday…

"Beth?" Sonic searched for the young girl in relief. _So, it wasn't you._ He found her at her mother's stand…alone. Questioningly at first, he wandered forward. Only when he caught sight of the way she was dressed did he panic.

Her eyes, instead of being a soft gold, were a fierce emerald green-almost the color of his own eyes- and her arms were covered in the gold and silver bangles of her mother as well as the few she'd worn the other day. Her fur was dull, her eyes glassy, and her ears were limp slightly. Her clothes were a mix of deep purple and black. Mourning colors.

"No." Sonic's worried tone of voice escaped her hearing. "No!"

"You need not blame yourself for events in the past." Whispered Beth hoarsely, waving her arms as if dancing, the bangles clinking together and putting her in a trance. "Beware farther the broken planet. Be warned. In time, your colors will shine through. You may be able to control the creature you have become. Mark, those you kill may be valuable assets to…"

"Stop!" Sonic's hand flew over her mouth in an instant. "No. I won't do it. I can't! I…" He stopped, panting. The young girl's eyes were golden again, wide with terror. Her paw rested over his hand and removed it.

"Your breath smells like blood." Beth's voice was high, fearful.

"Beth, please!" Sonic begged. "I can't kill!" he would've fallen on his knees, but his dignity held him high. His eyes closed as he attempted to keep his voice level. "I…I don't know what happened. I had control…and then I didn't anymore! I…!" He only tasted paw over his mouth.

It only took him a second to realize that he'd swallowed the taste. And…liked it. His hand went to the paw and forced it back to its owner. Beth looked at him in surprise.

"Grow in spiritual power." Beth's eyes were closed now, her arms dancing, but somehow he knew her eyes were green. "You can resist. You just have to believe you can. He is stronger, but your good may yet bring him down. He is only broken because of the world. You must remember that you are broken, too." Her eyes opened and she smiled. Gold, again. "I guess this isn't the last time we'll meet. But, it _will_ be the last time we meet as friends."

"Don't say that," Sonic insisted, biting his lip. "_Please_ don't tell me I'll…"

"See you tonight." Whispered Beth softly. Then, she disappeared from sight.

Sonic shook his head, sinking down into the shade under the stand, his head in his hands. Even in daylight, his form trembled and he felt the rush of another entity's blood coursing through his veins. He sat there with his head ducked into his knees, staring into the depths of blackness and beyond, trying to meditate, trying to strengthen his spiritual energy.

In another moment, he was up and running. His lungs filled with air, and with this air and the dizzying array of haphazard colors around him, his body filled with spiritual energy.

And, he got stronger.

_You'll see soon that what makes a man a man,_

_And what makes him stronger are two completely different things._


	6. Werehog

Werehog

_So, where to begin? Such newfound strength, as I knew, wouldn't last forever. The best way to go about it was to subtly take an inch of control a night and hopefully guide myself out of the temptations I was finding in the city till I learned control._

_Easier said than done._

Sonic stumbled along through the forest, waiting. His body was trembling all over from the eagerness of this entity within him. But, both of them were resisting until the sun set deftly behind the hills and Sonic had to give up control for a while. After all, he had a careful plan not to get worn out too quickly this time.

"Heh, heh, heh." Sonic rasped, clutching at the tree and peeling up bark with his nails. "So eager to have my body? What's the rush?" His eyes widened and his voice rose a few octaves as he chuckled wildly.

The entity stirred, growling inside of him. "Here," it growled, making Sonic's fur grow long like a winter coat. His teeth grew longer, but at a horrible price; pain. Sonic shouted out, grasping at the sides of his head in an attempt to still the injury. No avail. "This is where the world is broken. In this hour," it growled. "This hour! I must hunt, must purify!"

"But, what?!" Sonic watched his doom wall upon him as the sun set. "What are you?" He managed to spit out before the complete transformation.

"You," The dark entity snarled as it took full possession of the body. "Are a werehog."

The demon werehog sauntered through the lifeless town. Sonic had a gentle hold on the "reins", his nerves. One tug and the werehog was at his command. "I have to find this break." This was a command rushing through the body and out through the paws of the creature. "We need to fix this." A subtle twitch of the nerves of the arms in one direction.

The werehog lost balance for a moment, lost control. It staggered, then snarled, and went on its way again. Sonic twitched the reins again, this time putting more energy into it. "I need to go this way, please."

The werehog snarled in response and pounded its chest like a gorilla. This sent Sonic backwards inside his very body, crashing against a wall of his own ribs. Angrily, stirring about in all this misplaced chaos energy, he fought harder then he intended to in order to regain control, using some of it to transform into the demigod Super Sonic before he'd planned to.

"_This. Way. Please._" Insisted Sonic with a snarl of his own. He stretched out inside his body, sending out his spirit to every nerve so that he was in complete control.

The werehog roared like an ancient dinosaur and tried to resist. But, the demigod stirring within was stronger. Sonic managed to guide the werehog over to where the break was strongest. The demon creature of the dark howled when the area of the break came underfoot and burned him. Sonic felt this and grimaced, ignoring the pain. "Stay. On. Course." He hissed.

The werehog stopped three yards from the wide gaping break in the world and refused to go further. Sonic saw the great purple and yellow lights spewing forth as well as beasts of the dark, such as giant bats of sorts, flew forth from the underworld as the spawns of hate and deception. The dark animal itself whined and pawed at the marble ground, but Sonic forced it to stand ground and to wait, whether it make it dead or not in the process.

"How?" He wondered, letting his mind wander and the grasp on the reins loosen. "How to fix the break?"

The grasp on the werehog was close to none now, so it fled. "Hungry. Starving." Its thoughts raced towards what things mattered to it. "Food. Warmth. Full belly. Satisfaction." It licked its lips, awaiting its next meal eagerly.

The paw that had tasted so good this morning.

Sonic had no knowledge of his body's actions until it was already breaking down the door, snarling as the bright lights came up. Sonic's vision was blurred, but he heard a voice he recognized.

"Greetings." It was Beth! The tinkling of the bangles on her wrists gave her away. "Yes. I knew it was you, Sonic the Hedgehog. Or, more accurately, Sonic the Werehog." She shook her head. "These creatures! Always hungry! Can they not just stop and think about others first before themselves?"

"All the time." Sonic whispered, but it was no more than this as he grabbed the reins again. The werehog halted, whimpering.

Beth looked up, her golden eyes meeting Sonic's through the strange body. "Oh! You're there, aren't you? I can see you." She smiled with her golden eyes.

Sonic smiled back, forcing the werehog to lift a tentative paw. It was heavy. Sonic forced himself to make the effort, thought it felt as if it would tear his arms off. Every ounce of strength was used to keep the beast under control. "I'm here." He answered, moving closer to the werehog's head and settling into its body, which was naturally his. "All here."

Beth walked towards the werehog slowly. It gave a growl, but amended it to a mere whimper after a firm reprimanding from Sonic. Beth's hand reached out towards the snout, hesitant. Sonic forced the head forward so that Beth was able to cradle it in her palm. "You ate my mother." She half-scolded, her eyes dead now. "It isn't your fault, Sonic. The werehog was new and young."

Sonic forced the eyes of the werehog open, forcing it to stare Beth in the eyes. _His_ eyes stared through the werehog's wild eyes. "I still feel bad about it."

Beth pressed her forehead against the creature's. The werehog growled, but Sonic had it fully under control. "She forgives you, too." Beth whispered. "The world is broken, and the werehog is out of place. You have a task ahead of you."

Sonic's head nodded faithfully and he forced this action through to the werehog, growing lightheaded as he took more and more control. "I know." His eyes were open again. "Tell me."

"This world is broken." Beth gestured around her, unafraid of the werehog before her. The creature made a step forward, but Sonic pulled it back. "You have to fix it. And, in the process, you must fix yourself."

"How?" Sonic forced the werehog to cock its head. This made his own spin wildly.

"Go. Before you lose control." Beth pushed him out the door. "But, control is the key! To control the energy of the beast is to control your destiny!"

Sonic forced his legs and arms to move forward, running faster and faster. Though the werehog was slow, he pushed it to its limits, transmitting his own speed through its limbs. Faster! Faster!

Sonic had only one thing on his mind now: Control.

_Ah! The need for mastering control. Oh, I thought I'd had it!_

_But, new things bring upon new temptations. The victims more than one, I assure you._

_Though you will never know of it._

_I had a need to master this animal, this creature,_

_For whom I was responsible._


	7. Witches and Riches

Witches and Riches

_Who but I could end up asleep in a place unknown to me?_

_My pen and my mind say two completely different things._

_Why is that?_

_Struggles are much harder to record than victories. I know, for I have had my share of both._

Sonic opened one eye reluctantly and spit something dry and tasteless out of his mouth. He was covered in yellow hay, as if it was a blanket. He allowed it to flow off his quills naturally, resisting the urge to shake himself off. A few strands clung to his shoulders as he sat up and pulled off his gloves to rid himself of the tickling grains that had crawled inside overnight. With a sigh, he meticulously dug loose strands out of his shoes and socks, and tried to remember how he'd gotten to…wherever it was that he was.

The aching muscles in his arms (not his legs, for they were far stronger) from supporting weight that was not his own proved to him that he'd transformed last night. Through muscle memory, he remembered running far off, but perhaps he'd lost control of where the werehog had gone. He wasn't hungry. Had the werehog fed, or was he still living off of…? Sonic winced as he thought of the innocent life taken, and worse.

He sniffed, searching for scents he was familiar with, but could only smell and hear farm life. Stretching and leaving the hay he'd slept in, he strode to the door and peered into the outside world. Never had he seen such a mess!

Plain-colored creatures in plain- colored clothing walked about with silly hats that hid their hair and clothes that didn't expose even the least bit of skin. Sonic pressed his forehead against the barn door (maybe?) and groaned. "Where did my feet carry me?" He asked no one in particular in stress.

"Pardon, good sir," a small voice asked politely.

Sonic looked up, only to find himself staring into the gray-green eyes of a raccoon girl, no more than fourteen. Her tail twitched restlessly under the gray dress she wore. It covered her all the way up to her neck. She smiled. "Come to watch the witches hanged?"

"Witches?" Sonic was doubtful.

"Aye. There are those that compacted with the devil." The raccoon girl nodded. "They say no one is safe from him." She looked him up and down. "You are not a witch too, are you?"

Sonic laughed. "No, of course not. I belong to no religious coven either." His tone was almost bitter towards the end. "Witches! Foolishness!"

The raccoon girl ignored him, instead staring wistfully over her shoulder. Then, her eyes faced him again, pleading this time. "Come, good sir. You must see the hanging. Tis the witches in our town that be hanged today, sir."

"Bah! Witches!" Sonic snorted. "I don't believe."

"Please, come see, sir," the raccoon's eyes were pitiful; wide and cautious. "Lest they think you be one, too."

Sonic immediately saw the way this was going. "Okay." He said reluctantly and only for his own benefit. If he were to die before saving the world... He allowed the raccoon girl to drag him by the wrist towards the spot where the gallows were.

They were crude. Three nooses with a board underneath for the victims to stand on. Anxious, Sonic and his new friend watched as three supposed "witches" (two ordinary-looking raccoons and a red furred squirrel) were brought up upon the boards. A squirrel dressed in rough black wool got behind them, ready to push them off one by one. Sonic eyed his new friend as his heart began to beat faster than was normal for him. It nearly rushed his breath, and made him quite lightheaded. She, too, seemed to be trembling, gripping at his wrist tightly, which she hadn't relinquished.

"Who are they?" He asked softly by her ear.

"They be Rebecca James, Wyatt Warren, and Charlotte Jess." Answered the raccoon girl even softer than his voice had been. "They're the nicest people this whole town through."

"Watch your tongue, Elicia," hissed an older man who had glided beside her like a shadow. "What you say can land you in trouble."

Elicia had looked up at the man with terror filling her soft eyes, so Sonic was surprised at the words that came from her mouth. "Yes, father," Her voice trembled almost as much as her hands, which now fled to his upper arms. Those hands were like ice.

One raccoon, Sonic assumed it was Rebecca James by her long dress, was pushed off. It was an instant death, her eyes rolling into her head. Many around them winced, but some people cheered. Sonic himself couldn't help but feel squeamish.

"You there, good fellow," The voice of Elicia's father. Sonic knew the voice commanded respect, so he turned to look his way. The raccoon's eyes were a distinct black beneath the silly-looking hat.

"Yes, sir?" He asked in his most polite voice.

"By your…erm, dress…" The raccoon cleared his throat. "I assume you aren't from around here. From whence do you hail?"

It took Sonic a few moments to analyze the dialect and translate it into a language he could understand. "I don't have a specific home, sir. I'm a bit of a nomad."

"Hmm." Said the older raccoon. "We don't often have visitors. Did you come to watch the justice of God brought upon the servants of the devil?"

Sonic kept back his laughter by muffling it with his fist. "I'm sorry, sir," he answered after he was composed again. "I don't share your faith."

"Disappointing." Answered the older raccoon, shaking his head. "I was almost sure that…"

"Father's a minister," Whispered Elicia, her mouth three inches from his ear and her fingers anxiously coiled around his wrist again.

"Oh." It had taken Sonic only a moment to worry about the dislike in the older raccoon's eyes, but the minister only felt guilty for not doing his job adequately. Suddenly, he said up to the minister. "Sir?"

The minister responded with a stern, almost menacing gaze. Correction; it _was_ menacing. Sonic knew that the werehog's eyes looked exactly like this. He swallowed his fear before continuing. "Sir, you need not feel you are at all lacking. Theology goes in one ear and out the other with me." He shrugged. "I'm too stubborn for it, really."

He could see he'd made a mistake with _that_ seemingly harmless comment. The minister's eyes narrowed, his hand twitching for his daughter's, and indeed her nails digging into his wrists communicated his mistake. _Oops_. The eyes of the minister were fire. "Is it maybe because you're a witch, Mister…?"

Sonic ignored the question for his name, clearing his throat instead. The second body was now dangling from the gallows. Maybe it was just the werehog, but in his ears, Sonic felt Elicia's heart beating faster. She clutched at him harder, her fingers tapping on his arms. "I'm no witch," He answered after a long pause. The snarl hidden behind the politeness tore through the outer shell a bit.

The minister didn't appear to hear. His eyes-and the eyes of his daughter and most everyone around them-were back on the last victim. The girl…wasn't it Charlotte? The red squirrel. She was beautiful. Sonic's heart beat faster.

_Werewolves take pretty girls_, his mind teased him. He sighed, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. _I'm not running. No. Calm down, Sonic._

The squirrel was saying something. Something that commanded everyone's attention. Her voice was soft and innocent and very loud. "I am not a witch!" Her voice rang out, despite the doubting murmurs of the crowd. Except Elicia and her father, for they were still as stone. "I have never been one! There are worse things coming to Silencia town than witches!" More murmurs. Sonic watched the executioner's hand press into the small of her back. Her hair flew wild from her retraining hat. It was long and curly. "More terrible than anything yet to come from the devil! It isn't a witch! It's a-" But, she was cut off, for the executioner had pushed her off the platform. Her feet swung in the breeze.

Sonic's hands began to tremble. He could almost hear the squirrel's voice say the final word: _Werehog_. He shuddered, feeling Elicia's fingers flutter towards his hand. Both of her skinny hands fit inside his and she held them tightly. As the crowd began to disperse, the minister eyed the gesture of affection with hatred and pity.

"Well." He sounded satisfied, when he'd finally decided to speak. "Another hanging good and done over with. Wouldn't you say?" He was smiling.

Elicia's head turned towards him-Sonic felt her body twist under his light hold- and nodded swiftly. But, as for the hedgehog's own eyes, they were still glued forward at the swinging bodies, like pendulums.

The minister cleared his throat again. "I must ask you to release my daughter, sir."

"Father!" Hissed Elicia angrily. "This isn't the time."

"Quiet, Elicia!" Her father roared. "Let your gentleman friend speak for himself. How did you come here?"

No answer. Sonic blinked once, twice.

"Are you a witch or not? Speak!" The minister growled, despite his daughter's incessant pleas.

Still no answer. Sonic's lips curled slightly, to keep from sniffing out the raccoon girl's…flavor. _I'm in control_, he thought. _You won't take another life_. Though he knew he hadn't done it at all, he still felt horrible for hosting this being. _Neither will I_. He amended firmly, but mostly to satisfy his conscience.

"Daddy!" Elicia was finally forced to protest loudly.

"Elicia." The growl was subtle, but deadly. The minister's eyes smoldered and Elicia cowed beside Sonic's statue-like form.

"Speak, devil-worshipper," Snarled the minister after a long pause. "That is, if nothing hinders you."

Sonic's voice shook, like the rest of his body. "I will talk to Elicia." He answered in a small voice. "No one else."

"Very well." Sighed the minister. "Elicia, proceed."

The raccoon girl touched the shallow of his cheek with her cold, small hand, slowly turning it to face her. The girl's smile, coupled with the soft eyes, was unbearable. "Now, good sir," Elicia purred. "Are you a witch?"

Sonic softened and shook his head.

"How did you get here?"

"I ran." Sonic half-lied. Anything else might just slit his throat.

"It's far to here from anywhere." The minister interrupted. "That's a lie." His teeth were set with a snap.

"Daddy," Elicia scolded gently without taking her eyes off the hedgehog. "How can you run so far?" Her voice was sweet and so soft, like a pillow.

Tire hit Sonic like a snowball, but he evaded the damage for now and focused on her question. "I developed great speed." It was not a complete lie. That was all but untrue.

"Daddy?" Elicia turned towards her father, now past formalities apparently. "Can we invite him to lunch? Please?"

Ick! Sonic wasn't hungry at all, not in the least! Well…he rocked on his heels to test their strength. His muscles were beginning to ache, and they shouldn't. He was about three dozen calories short, which meant that he'd burned the last of the wax. He had very little energy left. But food? Now? On top of a...-he forced the word-body of a person, no less! It disgusted him! It sickened him! It…well… Conflicting emotions played out within his eyes, his mouth still stubbornly set.

The minister looked from Elicia to Sonic reluctantly and sighed. "They'll kill me for inviting a witch…"

"Yay!" Elicia tried to contain her excitement, but it exploded on her face and in her voice. She tugged at his hand. "C'mon! Please, sir! You've got to see!"

Sonic allowed himself to be tugged, and a smile crossed his face. Elicia reminded him of home somewhat. A home he'd never really had.

_What? Here, I was accepted, even though I was a threat. Wait a second. That didn't make any sense! How could _I_, a…man eater…how could I be loved? If the lion is in disguise as a sheepdog, will be trusted by the sheep?_


	8. Promise

Promise

_Yep. To myself and others around me, I'd made a promise. A promise that deserved a name more like _covenant_. Yeah, it was a covenant. A full and complete promise, stating that I would try-yes _try_ because at the time, I felt that I was not completely in control-not to kill another person. Ever._

It smelled insanely good. Something so simple shouldn't smell this good. Well. Maybe having lived on nothing but a very…raw, unnatural meal, had made him think about the simple goodness of harmless food. The only food you didn't feel guilty about eating.

Of course, Sonic's true self was eternally hungry. Running, though an ease, burned innumerable calories and tons of energy, though he had tons to spare. But, deep down, his stomach was always rumbling. And, with this new creature, who was affected so much by its stomach that hunger was blown so much out of proportions, this was more and more of a problem.

He'd been standing at the window, staring out into the gloomy afternoon and blowing on the window pane until he could press his finger against the mist and create a smiley face. He thought better of it though, his finger poised over the mist, and crossed that arm over his chest again. He was trying not to think about the growling, like an immature jungle cat, coming from deep within him.

Elicia hummed as she worked, her eyes closed and her small feet dancing her about like leaves falling from the trees in autumn. She paused over the stove now, pushing the bacon around with a wooden fork. He'd implored her to cook something simple, but meaty, as that was what he craved. Something simple, so as not to blow the hunger he possessed out of proportions. Again.

Because it had already happened before. Because it had affected the life of a very young girl, perhaps younger than Elicia. Because it would not go away.

Like the deaths during the Great War that had affected so many people, had in fact altered them forever. Yes. Except, this death was worse. The bodies weren't buried in the dirt where they fell. "Dust to dust", no. Where they were buried was inside the belly of a beast…or, at least, the beast's host.

_Me_, Sonic thought, the tiniest whine of disdain crossing his lips.

Elicia looked up, still humming softly. Her dull gray eyes, still so full of life, were worried. Anxious. Silly girl. _She_ was worried about _him_.

As if he didn't know it should be the other way around.

"Sir?" Her voice tripped over the word, somehow sensing he didn't like the formality.

She was right, of course. But at the time, he hadn't wanted to give his name. The minister, now away at mass, had shown such disdain, such uneasiness, towards him that he felt if he so much as whispered his name, the town would go up in flames.

Because it was nowhere near traditional.

Because only "witches" could fly across the ground at high speeds.

Because only "witches" were clothed simply. (Maybe? He couldn't well assume that).

He cleared his throat. "Call me Sonic," He answered in a soft tone.

"Sonic." Elicia repeated. "Wow." She smiled.

He smiled, too. "What?"

Her angular face blurred as she shook her head rapidly. "Nothing, sir-er, Sonic- I meant no disrespect. It's a very nice name."

She thought she'd hurt his feelings. He laughed easily, to show it wasn't true. "No, I know it isn't very traditional." He grinned.

"My father…" Elicia bit her lip. Apparently, she was past even whispering the word "daddy" now. "He likes the old ways. But, I've always wanted to get out there and see the world." Her eyes shone. "I want to be a nomad, like you."

Sonic winced, but all in all was rather flattered. "So _that's_ why your old man was on me like a hawk."

She laughed at his terminology. "Yes."

"I see." Sonic shook his head. There was a long silence, interrupted once by his stomach's rumbling.

He didn't like that Elicia heard it. "I'll get the bacon. It should be done by now…"

His reflexes reached for her arm and held it fast, but not at all tight, forcing her to look at him. "If you do decide to be a nomad…" He paused, her eyes confused. What could he tell her, so as not to scare her? Who was he to turn others off their paths? "…be careful," he finished in a soft but fierce whisper.

She nodded and he let her go, watching her work over the bacon. Silence reigned for a long time.

Then… "Sonic?"

He looked towards her curiously. "Yeah?"

"You seem…uneasy," Elicia didn't look at him. "It's strange for me to see anyone all riled up. And, I sense you're calmer than this. What's bothering you?"

Sonic winced, brushing his sneaker against the tiled floor absently. He couldn't tell her what was _really_ wrong, for he'd be dead by morning. The night was coming on fast here, for it was nearly twilight, and the werehog stirred. "Control," He murmured under his breath, shutting his eyes and focusing intently on keeping the beast well restrained.

"Hmmm?" Elicia questioned, turning towards him.

"Nothing." He smiled. "I'm just not used to the up-tight lifestyle. How do _you_ live like this?" He absolutely _had_ to get the young girl talking. Then, he could concentrate more easily.

Her voice rang like a bell, but he was only half-listening. Then, like the wind, he knew what he had to do. Silently, so that no one saw him, he ran outside and under the porch and forced himself to do something he'd never done before. Throw up.

It took Elicia about eleven minutes to discover his absence. Sonic thanked his lucky stars he was gifted with the speed of the winds. When he heard her, through his preoccupation, he paused, holding the bile in his throat until he spit bits of it out at a time. He hissed as he realized that a body took a long time to digest.

He could Elicia up on the steps above, hoping she'd found his clue. She seemed to. "Cattails." She whispered. "A sign of quiet pain."

Sometimes, Sonic hated being a natural genius. It was true. He knew pretty much everything and was easily very smart. He only restrained his smarts out of habit, but he could use his smarts where they really mattered, such as knowing the Old World signs they seemed to find in plants. He continued to spit softly into the grass.

He heard the creak of the door. "Please, come back my friend." Elicia whispered. "I love you."

Sonic was so surprised that he almost fully threw up the bile in his throat without waiting for the door to close. Of course, she couldn't have of guessed he was right below her, but an expression of _love_? Sonic had to question whether it was used loosely, or if she really meant it in the sense he was thinking of.

He shut his eyes again and dove into those thoughts as he finished what he'd come here to do.

Return the body to the earth. "Dust to dust," He murmured.


	9. Get Back

Get Back

_Okay, you might say it was foolish to leave the stomach of the werehog empty. But I was assured of my control and I knew I could handle this hunger with similar methods that I used to conquer it myself. Hunger was already a beast. I need not tempt it further to become a literal monster!_

The werehog was upon him before he'd even shut his eyes. It pawed at the locked barn doors, whining. "I smell food," It snarled. "I'm hungry! Give me food!"

Sonic laughed within the monster, falling into a deep sleep.

"Hey!" The werehog came to realization. "_You_ locked the doors!"

Sonic chuckled. "Yep."

"LET ME_ OUT OF THIS THING!_" Screeched the werehog, forcing his bodyweight against the strong doors.

"Oh, be quiet, will you?" Sonic retorted. "I'm very tired, so just please let me sleep! Besides, you'll wake our neighbors."

Visions of the girl filled the werehog's mind, and therefore, Sonic's. "She's very skinny for a little girl. But, I wonder if she's plumper now, after eating?"

"Don't you _dare_!" Sonic snarled, forcefully biting the innards of the werehog. He yelped as he felt a sharp pain in his side.

"It does more to you then it does to me, I assure you." The werehog's tail twitched. "Now, let me out or I'll bite."

"Get out yourself!" Sonic retaliated. "I have no intention of letting you out!"

That was a bad thing to say. The werehog pushed his shoulder blades against the locked doors and they flew open. Sonic, not driven by hunger and in fact very weak within the monster, could only pull him away from the house and towards the fields where cattle lay asleep.

The werehog, confused, shifted towards the house again. "The girl." He snarled.

"Eat this," Sonic insisted, turning him back. "I'll willingly play tug-of-war till dawn."

"Dawn? Bah!" The werehog turned back to the house. "It's only a matter of time until you wear yourself out. Then, you'll have to throw up again and be weak while I am strong."

"Elicia!" Sonic cried and the werehog was forced to howl from the pain of it. "Elicia! Hear me! Run, Elicia! Run!"

A body shifted within the house. A heart beat faster and faster. The smell was overwhelming, like soft, silky cotton. Then, the delicious smell faded under the horrible smell of onions.

"Or, do that." Sonic was pleased and could fall asleep a few minutes while the werehog debated.

"Those cows smell better." He mused. "And they're fatter, too."

"Go ahead." Sonic yawned, falling asleep as the werehog pounced upon its first victim of the night.

_Oh, what a fool I was! But, I couldn't let the werehog eat another person! As the days wore on, I felt that I grew stronger within the beast. Perhaps this evil entity's will was easily crushed._

_And, I wanted nothing more than that._


	10. Bewitched!

Bewitched!

_I was so tired the next morning. As soon as I awoke, I felt so disgusting._

_But, with the night came new feelings._

_Feelings of hate, hunger, and wanting. _

_I realized soon that I was all alone._

Sonic felt sick as soon as he woke up. Warm bile rushed up his throat and he didn't have time to do so much as open his eyes before it was released. He coughed and sputtered, trying to get air, but a dastardly smell filled his nostrils and the warm bile exploded again and he spit it up.

There were murmurs about him, overwhelming him and making him dizzy. The voices were ones he could barely understand and were all disapproving. He hissed before spitting the warm bile into the grass again.

His systems quieted soon, but the smell was unbearable. Sonic gagged, his body searching wildly for something to release, his mind fogged and his body drained and thin. But, the voices became slowly more intelligible. Sonic groaned and pushed himself up upon trembling elbows.

His vision, blurry from who-knows-what, could only see an overwhelming mass of black. Ministers, no doubt. He sighed, remembering he was in Silencia and not among friends. Puritan-like society was horrid. A strange many-branched plant was dropped in front of him and this made the hot bile rush into his throat and out of his mouth before he could even think of swallowing. The being within him, before contented and silent, was now whining and stirring up the restless chaos energy within.

Sonic gasped, waiting for something to happen. When it did, he spit it out reluctantly. To leave the werehog's stomach as empty as could be wasn't part of the plan. Sonic moaned, cradling his aching belly in his right arm and steadying himself with his left. His vision blurred as the plants before him took over his mind. The smell was coming from them! It clogged his senses like smoke and, reluctantly, he threw up again.

"He slaughtered a whole herd of cows!" Snarled a decrepit voice from the black mass.

"We don't have any proof it was him." Soothed another, almost feminine, voice.

"The proof is before you, right Solomon?" A gruff voice demanded.

"Hmm," replied the voice of Elicia's father. "I suppose. But, poor Elicia. If she discovers her friend…"

"Nonsense!" Growled an older, softer, and much more commanding voice. "What friend has she in a damarchus?!"

In the way that all gathered fell silent, Sonic assumed this voice to be the leader of those congregated. Perhaps he served as bishop, or something of that nature. The smell of his individual body became intense (he smelled of smoked, rotten grapes) as a cold silver thing was presented to the hedgehog.

Not knowing why, Sonic whined and tried to inch away. The rock-like feeling in his chest kept him in place, though, and his arm collapsed under the cool metal.

"Aversion to silver," Smoky Rotten Grapes chuckled. "This proves he is a damarchus!"

"Old wolf-creatures of legend?" Quizzed the feminine voice softly. "This little child is far too young to be such a creature. These were usually old men."

"Child?" Sonic growled to himself. The opening of his mouth released more vomit into the grass before him. This caused him to inch away, moaning. He only got a few feet before Smoky Rotten Grapes came so near as to dare to touch him. Sonic reacted to the silver rings on his hand and struggled as he was brought first to his feet and then up off the ground.

"Hmm. Child?" The lead man poked him in the ribs. There was no silver on this hand, but a ferocious growl rumbled in the hedgehog's throat all the same. "He's old enough to traverse the world, old enough to be beaten. He is certainly old enough to become a damarchus!" Smoky Rotten Grapes swiveled, still holding Sonic tightly, and threw him against a hard wall.

Sonic hit the bricks at a strange, contorted angle. He gasped as his ribs collided with the wall from the side and shivered as his belly scraped against the harsh, unforgiving wall. His heart was having convulsions as he turned away, momentarily disoriented. His vision filled with red blood. He wanted out, and, suddenly, he was ravenous. But for something…forbidden. He growled, crouched on all fours like an animal, and turned swiftly.

His eyes locked within the golden eyes of a female black cat, older because of the faint gray dotting her fur. She seemed familiar to him somehow, and the werehog rejoiced too. Did _he_ know her? But, Sonic's appetite got the best of him somehow, and his mouth watered.

"How are you feeling?" The black cat took a few cautious steps towards him. All of the eyes in the black mass were upon her.

Sonic was distracted by the white lace crinkling as she walked. This seemed to line the whole dress. It even wrapped around her beautiful, delicate neck. He licked his lips, quite tempted. His answer was a startling, rippling snarl. "_Starving_." He annunciated through the snarl. As much as he was tensed for the kill, he couldn't attack her, not because he was so drained, but because he knew he couldn't somehow. It was like looking at his mother.

"Gaia…" Her voice whispered.

The werehog reacted to this name eagerly, jumping for joy inside. Sonic forcibly put the creature back to bed and looked up at her, blinking. His vision returned to normal, no longer red.

Her golden-clawed hand came to rest upon his head, ruffling the fur there as if he were a dog. A purr rumbled deep in Sonic's throat. She was more welcoming then all the others. "Yes," she turned to her companions. "An unwilling host, surely, but a damarchus all right." She stepped away from him.

All comfort and energy was sapped from Sonic's body. The wounds set in, and he yelped in pain, switching to a half-seated position and cradling his midsection tenderly. His hands came up bloody and his tongue rested over them to taste it.

He was lifted again, this time by Solomon, and taken over to the circle of gathered ministers. So quickly that, in his weakened state Sonic couldn't discern what was happening, they bound his hands and feet and forced him onto his back. They then began clubbing him with various wooden stakes and some silver objects and feet that lashed out at his already weak ribs.

He gasped and spit blood as his ribs were kicked. More vomit played across the grass as sharp pangs from the silver went straight into his stomach. Inner burning in his throat and heart traveled quickly to encase his whole body. _I'm on fire_, he thought to himself, and reacted as if he really were on fire.

He shouted.

He rolled around in the grass and panted because his energy was sapped every time he took one step.

He finally gave up, accepting the beating and the burning. Blood like tears flowed down his face from deep gashes and his sides were warm with the creamy liquid. His eyelashes were wet with unwanted tears, his vision sometimes blurred.

The pain was too much. His breathing became jagged as thoughts of rejection distracted his mind. _I'm not wanted_. As much as he knew it was completely logical, he still felt horrible.

"Stop!"

The voice was like a beautiful bird, singing in the highest points of the trees above. Sonic didn't think he'd ever heard any voice clearer or more beautiful than this one. He sighed, the voice a comfort to his aching body.

Some blows stopped coming, and he could faintly hear the struggle Elicia was putting up, the lace under her dress rustling as she kicked, the plastic on the end of her shoelaces echoing against the black leather. They were trying to keep her away from him.

"Put me down!" She protested angrily. "Sonic!" Her voice was desperate.

The urge to kill rose in his throat like the warm vomit.

Two thoughts entered his mind, one he didn't particularly like.

Kill your persecutors. Save the girl.

He wondered vaguely if those were his only options.

Without thinking, he jumped to his feet, ignoring the burning from the silver and the wobbling in his legs as his vision blackened for a long moment. The more he heard her agonized voice, the more she appealed to him. One: She was tasty. Two: She was helpless.

Sonic ran, calling her name desperately. It sounded like the wounded howl from the night before. His stomach churned as he neared her. She smelled like onions still. Despite this, he leaped three feet into the air, forced the arms that held her open, picked her up in his arms, and bounded a few feet away, placing her on the ground.

Her cold hands fled to his wrist as the hand she had chosen to grasp fell limp and the rest geared to protect her. He snarled at the black mass coming near, snapping at a gray hand that tried to grab her. He forced himself to miss, for surely he could've torn the hand away from its owner. Elicia shivered, pulling herself against his back spines.

A rumble tore open his throat and a low, angered, and oppressed snarl parted his lips and curled them over his pale white teeth. His breath tasted horrid to him (likely from the vomit), but his focus was upon the black cloaked minister who happened to be walking towards them.

He was a white…rat? Sonic couldn't tell, but the eyes of Smoky Rotten Grapes were pale crimson and that made him thoroughly uneasy. Shaking himself, he gave a warning growl.

The man stopped in his tracks for a moment, said something unintelligible, and continued. Sonic suddenly smelled the horrible stench that had caused him to throw up. There was nothing left in his stomach now, but the smell still unhinged him. A throaty snarl issued from his lips. He didn't need the words he said, but he was worried the translation wouldn't be evident in that growl, for the minister kept walking forward nonchalantly.

"Stay back," Sonic warned. "Or I'll kill you."

Elicia gasped by his ear, but remained motionless. With his limp hand, he fumbled for hers and gently squeezed it.

"Relax, my boy." Smoky Rotten Grapes annunciated perfectly, the red eyes shining. "We don't want any blood spilt."

"Ha!" Sonic retorted, peeling his lips back across his teeth. Cold wind tore through the open wounds on his face, chest, thighs, and belly and he winced uncomfortably.

"Excuse me. None but yours." Amended the minister, reaching his hand out to grasp Sonic's shoulder. The hedgehog backed up against Elicia, recoiling from the silver on his fingers. "My apologies again," soothed the red-eyed rat (Sonic could tell, now that they were within feet of each other), grinning. "Is this better?" He raised his other hand, the hand without silver on it.

Sonic allowed Smoky Rotten Grapes to touch him, though the stench was unbearable. Elicia seemed to sense his tense stance.

"Really, sir, Devil's Weed?" She questioned innocently, her voice nearly a whisper.

"Devil's Weed?" Sonic repeated with a hiss on the last "e" as the minister's hand inched closer to Elicia. "Is _that _what I've been smelling?" It wasn't in his immediate knowledge, probably something he had no patience to dig for right now.

"Wolfsbane in common tongue." The rat answered carelessly, tossing the free hand and removing his other. "Werewolves, rougarou, vrcolac, werwolves, wulvers, as well as any other wolf-man creature, are quite vulnerable to it, with deep aversion for it, too." He smiled. "It becomes quite affective when dealing with a newborn damarchus." A hand scratched under Sonic's chin.

Sonic snapped, deliberately missing but therefore providing warning. The rat pulled his hand away, still grinning. "I can't let you harm Elicia!" The snarl ripped through Sonic's body like a burning fire before striking from his mouth.

"What?" The rat' answering look was innocent, like the placating eyes of his untrustworthy mortal enemy. Sonic's green eyes narrowed, his vision fading to red again. "We wouldn't hurt the daughter of our local minister. You, on the other hand…" he gestured towards the bruised, bleeding, beat-up- and still ready for battle- hedgehog and their eyes locked.

"I wouldn't!" Sonic protested, injured. Elicia's breath accelerated one-fourth and Sonic closed his mouth. He could easily harm her, though he wouldn't…

"The fact that you nearly tore off the arms of her own father was proof you want her within your care for some reason." The rat continued, as if he hadn't heard Sonic's rebuttal. "A practiced damarchus will play with his victim first before devouring it whole."

"Stop!" The voice, though beautiful, was too loud in his ears. Sonic cowed under the intense volume. "He won't hurt me! I don't know what he is, but last night, I heard him tell me to avoid him! I laid in onions to protect myself! But look! His instinct is to protect! He isn't hurting me." That wasn't true. She shifted uneasily and Sonic ceased pressing his sharp spines into her chest.

"We won't hurt her." Soothed the rat. "We just want to see if you really are a damarchus, and how treatable you are." He opened his arms for her. "Let her come to me. You may even place her in my arms yourself, if that is your wish."

Sonic turned his back on the rat and focused on Elicia. Even through his angered red vision, she looked beautiful, but quite frightened. He lifted her easily into his arms and hers clung easily to his neck. She seemed comforted by his touch, her eyes locked on the gashes on Sonic's cheeks. A hum built in his throat to calm her. Soon, she caught the tune and hummed along.

Easily, he transferred her body to the rat's arms and it was she who was reluctant to let go. Finally, she only had a firm grasp on one of his quills. "I'll be fine," Sonic soothed.

Elicia's eyes were wet with tears. "I'm not so sure."

Sonic caught a tear falling from her eye on his fingertip. "Don't worry, Elicia." He murmured. "I'm fine." He half turned; putting the finger he'd caught the tear with in his mouth. Just one little tear tasted marvelous to him, if not a bit salty. Then, he faced the rat minister. "Okay," he said. "Give Elicia to her father and may you do your worst to me."

The rat's eyes were full of sadistic glee. "Oh, we will. You can rest assured of that." The grin that crossed his face was horribly disfigured. A snarl crossed Sonic's lips and quickly rose in volume.

As soon as the rat turned around, Sonic fell into the grass with a thud, moaning as his broken ribs smashed into the ground. His body was so drained he could barely blink. Why was he so tired? And, suddenly…hungry. He felt empty, like he'd been starved in a cave for three consecutive years.

His stomach began to growl mercilessly as he was presented with his favorite food. A chilidog, impossibly juicy and irresistible, was within his grasp. He didn't see who was handing it to him, but he grabbed at it with both hands and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed it for a few moments, than swallowed. It was warm going down his throat and it felt nice in his belly until the burning started.

Sonic gagged on it and spit it up, still undigested. He spotted the fragment of silver sparkling in the rain. Snarling, his vision growing into a deep dark red, he looked up at the dark circle.

They were poking him with strange sticks and torturing him with silver implements and waving food in front of his nose. With one hand cradling his roaring stomach and the other supporting his heavy body, he hung his head and waited for the torture to be over, feeling drool wet his mouth when he smelled warm food nearby.

It was unbearable. His eyes shut over the torture as he attempted to keep himself restrained.

For, the torture was only beginning.

_During the torture, my mind filled with images of foods I adored._

_My stomach was roaring._

_I was ravenous, and completely in a bad mood._

_So, obviously, what traits were amplified during the night?_


	11. Heaven's a Lie

_Hey guys! First of all, I would like to thank the six reviewers for this story. Thanks to __Alex_the_werehog, Aliceia_ThE_hedgehog, Super_Sonic, Eva300, SOnicLoVer, and werehogfan for all your support. You guys rule! And now for the much anticipated eleventh chapter! Thanks for reading, guys! I couldn't have done it without you!_

Heaven's a Lie

_They left before nightfall._

_I don't really know why. But, I suppose they really did fear me._

_Or…not me, rather the creature that came at night._

_That was something even the holiest person on earth feared:_

_The direct spawn of the devil._

It made Sonic think a little bit about how much life meant to him. As the darkness came on him, he was tired and wounded-and impossibly hungry-and there was no cure. His mind wandered as the moon transformed him into the werehog.

"Now you know my secret," Snarled the werehog. "Don't use it against me."

Sonic was so weak within the body that he had no control over his body's actions. "Heh, what? Gaia?"

The werehog stirred, as he had before. "I don't know how she knew," he growled. "But, she'll die."

Sonic smiled. "They beat us up good today. Sure you aren't too weak to go out tonight?"

"My stomach rules me, an observation you've made yourself." The werehog replied. "You forget your own assumption…how?"

"I know not, but I suppose it's from the thorough beating." Sonic retorted.

The werehog snarled and ran off. Sonic had no power to stop the werehog's feast and he watched the werehog's selective process of meals. The town was lessoned of young females. He'd even disposed of the dead bodies hanging on the gallows!

Feeling full, the werehog staggered along. "Now, to finish the job," he snarled. "I'm going to kill that nasty rotten grapes man!"

Sonic groaned, only made more ill by the werehog's feast, and curled further into his corner of restless energy. "You didn't kill Elicia, did you?"

"She smells like onions and Wolfsbane. Not my type." The werehog shivered.

"You're feeling what I feel for her."

"No!" The werehog broke down a door. The life of a young minister was taken. The golden eyes of the forbidden-to-kill black cat watched wearily. Though, in this light, they looked crimson and black. The ministers, all but Elicia's own father who was not in this place, died by his hands. The white upon them was tainted by blood.

Victorious, the werehog howled and ate the body of the bishop-like man. It tasted disgusting. Sonic winced as the silver was flung on all sides. The man, before being killed, had seemed strangely calm, as if this was an expected reaction. The werehog didn't even care about the taste, but ran out as soon as the man was dead.

"You didn't eat him." Sonic was impressed.

The werehog shivered. "He tasted like shit. Why would I eat him?"

"You were full, too," Sonic, though very reluctantly, was getting his strength back from the feast. "The dawn's coming. Where's Elicia?"

"Are your senses dulled?" The werehog snarled.

"No, they're just peachy," Sonic answered with a sarcastic air. "That's why I'm asking you to find her. Where is she? You know as well as I that the dawn…"

"SHUT UP!" Retorted the werehog with a full growl. "I'll find her. Keep your shoes on." A rapid sniffing began and Sonic began to get this sense back, though slowly. The horizon was rosy with the coming sun. "Ew," The werehog turned his body slightly north. "There."

"Well, go on." Sonic pressed eagerly.

Gaia took off, the wind whistling through his fur. He was losing power quickly as the night gave way to the new dawn. "This isn't where I usually smell her." He thought. "It's diluted with the smell of sheep and pigs."

"Then you wanna eat her?" Sonic was ready to pull the werehog back, his fingers clasped defensively over the nerves. Even though he was swiftly gaining power, he was worried that Gaia might do something desperate.

The sun fully rose in an explosion of orange, pink, and faint purple. Gaia tripped and fell and Sonic was free once again. He spit the taste of blood from his mouth and looked gloomily up at the carriage wheels before him. A horse snorted noisily as he stood and one freaked out without bucking.

"Whoa, whoa boy," Solomon soothed, coming out of a barn Sonic had somehow missed before. A hand flew to his shoulder and Sonic followed the touch.

"Elicia!" The silvery raccoon he'd made friends with made his feelings explode. She blushed as she heard the excitement in his voice.

"Sonic," She smiled weakly.

"What's wrong, Elicia?" Sonic asked gently, taking her small hand in his own.

"Shouldn't you be tired?" She asked in a whisper, her eyes on her father, still trying to calm the spooked horse.

Sonic cocked his head to one side a little, his limp quills falling with him. His winter coat bristled about his body. "Erm…" He wondered how he'd grown his winter coat in so short a time, but thought better of it. "Well, no. Why do you ask?" His voice was sugary sweet.

Elicia pulled him closer. Sonic had to stand on the carriage wheel to bring himself to her level, as Elicia had to lean farther down. "Sonic, father said it's best to leave. There are three people left in this town. The rest were killed by…" She chocked on the last word.

Sonic was afraid, but he pressed her. "Go on," he murmured fearfully.

"…some kind of giant wolf." The raccoon girl shivered. Sonic felt it, and he knew he would've felt it even if he wasn't clasping her hand tightly. Inside him, Gaia snarled.

"Don't be afraid, Elicia," Sonic told her, placing his warm hand over her cheek. "That wolf won't come after you. I promise."

Elicia's forehead touched his. "Sonic? Is what the ministers said about you yesterday…is that all true?"

Sonic sighed. "I _am _housing a creature. What it did last night I had no control over." His eyelids closed over his emerald orbs. "Its weakness is silver and Wolfsbane, so since you smell like the former, it won't hurt you." He bit his lip. "But…"

Elicia pulled away from him. "Your breath smells of blood."

Solomon interrupted. "C'mon, Elicia," his hand welded to her arm. "Get away from him now. Let's go."

"Father!" Elicia's eyes burned as she turned towards her father. "A minute! Please!"

Solomon seemed reluctant, but gave in after what seemed like years. His grip loosened, but he still held her. "Fine." He hissed curtly.

"Thanks," Elicia beamed at him and turned back to Sonic. In a hushed, small whisper, so soft that Sonic had to really concentrate to hear her, she told him the following: "I don't care what you are. My feelings for you will never change. I know you can handle this. Please don't worry about me." She reached into the pocket of her blouse and pulled out a golden cross hanging from a beautiful, sparkling golden chain. In the center of the cross was a heart-shaped sapphire, which glinted in the early morning light. "Here. It used to e my mother's. Please take it."

"Sapphire," Sonic laid the cross on one gloved finger and examined it. "In the old world, it was a blessing towards travelers. Am I right?"

She nodded, her lips resting upon his forehead. "May my God go with you, Sonic."

"Thanks, Elicia. I'm sure He will." Sonic tucked the cross inside his glove and fumbled around for the tiny pocket someone had sewed there long ago. When he found it, he placed the cross within it. "Goodbye."

"Farewell," Elicia answered as she let go of him and the carriage rolled off into the distance.

Sonic sighed, one finger rubbing over the cross. Little did he know that the third survivor was waiting for the opportune time to strike….

_Yay! I finally submitted it! R&R! Tell me what you think!_


	12. What Went Untold

What Went Untold

_The chains clanked as they rested about my wrist. Pretty soon, the water around my ankles would drive me crazy. I was in deep._

_And I wasn't sure how Gaia would handle it._

Sonic removed his gloves and cupped his hands in the beautiful, clear stream. The water was so pure, it was almost white and it was guaranteed to be tasty. He lifted the water to his lips and drank deeply, not caring that he was full of forbidden food. "I'll let you have your fun for now," he said to Gaia. "But soon, you'll bend to my will."

Gaia had no power to speak now, so he could only listen with Sonic to the birds, to the water, to the footsteps…

Sonic turned, already switching to the balls of his feet. He could almost feel the moist grass through his feel-worn sneakers. Golden eyes met his. "Hello, Gaia. Are you pleased to see me?" The elderly black cat licked a paw, one eye open and on him. Through the upright, lizard-like pupil, Sonic could see the werehog's reflection. Why?

"Who are you?" Sonic demanded. Gaia winced within him and a whine that was not his own crossed his lips.

Instantaneously, the eyes seemed to change from warm gold to dark crimson, as they had been viewed from the werehog's eyes. Gaia recoiled farther into his corner inside of Sonic, apparently fearful of this minister. She laughed at the blue hedgehog's comment. "My name is Vapira." She came forward and rested one clawed hand atop Sonic's head and her eyes were gold again. Gaia seemed to relax, so Sonic leaned into the affection.

Suddenly, he found himself slapped. His left hand instantly fled to his cheek. It was warm and sticky. Sonic pulled it away and them put it back. Blood. He could feel small tears in the skin where the claws had contacted and therefore caused injury.

"I am Gaia's trainer," Vapira continued. "I praise him when he has done well and punish him when he has done wrong." Her voice was a velvet purr, which didn't match the sadistic look in her now-crimson eyes. "And, Gaia has done a great wrong."

A growl ripped open Sonic's mouth and the hedgehog was instantly on the defensive, his body curled into a fighting crouch, ready to run or fight as circumstances dictated. "What wrong have _I _done, though?"

"Dear, dear boy," The cat woman bent to his level, her eyes now a softer shade of crimson as she washed the blood from his cheek with a wet wipe. "You are housing him. Therefore, you, too, are at fault."

"How?!" Sonic asked before a solid like a snake forced itself through his clenched teeth and down into his throat so he couldn't speak. The black cat came close to his neck, and, despite his struggle, easily inserted one oversized canine into his neck.

A burning sensation followed and Sonic tried to cry out in pain. However, the snake prevented it. After a few moments of useless struggle, the pain was too much for the teen hedgehog to bear and he passed out.


	13. Up Toward Heaven

Up Toward Heaven

_My hands reached for the bars._

_I longed to be let out, my mind filling with strange, sadistic dreams._

_I was going crazy, and somehow,_

_That was better than being sane._

_Oh no,_

_Here it is again_

_I need to know_

_When I will fall into decay_

_Something wrong_

_With every plan of my life_

_I didn't really notice that you've been here_

_Dolefully desired_

_Destiny of a lie_

_Set me free_

_Your heaven's a lie_

_Set me free with your love_

_Set me free_

_Oh no,_

_Here it is again_

_I need to know_

_Why did I choose to betray you_

_Something wrong_

_With all the plans of my life_

_I didn't realize that you've been here_

_Dolefully desired_

_Destiny of a lie_.

Heaven's a Lie by Lacuna Coil

Sonic looked around him for the billionth time. Same boring stone walls dripping cold water to the ground, same boring barred window that allowed for three streams of light to pass through, same boring song playing throughout the cramped dungeon, over and over.

"Set me free, your heaven's a lie. Set me free with your love! Set me free!"

"As if the fucking song could set me free." Sonic slammed his fist against the wall. It didn't hurt, because attached to his wrist was a heavy, black iron handcuff attached to three or four yards of a similar chain which were attached to the wall three to four feet above his head. As he looked up, a drop of water landed in his eye.

Sonic blinked it out irritably and stomped one foot, just for something to do. A mighty splash sounded and he was covered in freezing cold water. It dripped down off of him, going back to the puddle which was now forming at the bottom of the cylindrical cell.

Sonic randomly compared it to placing a washcloth over the drain at the bottom of a shower. A tiny puddle of water will begin to form, until you have a small bath at your feet. It happens much faster in a shower at home. For that, Sonic was glad.

"Stupid hydrophobia," he growled, his pupils widening in the darkness his hunched figure created. "Stupid chains," he cursed in another language as a quick shot of pain rushed from his arms to his brain, for he was hanging from his these, his feet barely touching the floor. "Stupid song," he muttered, beginning to mock it. "Damn lyrics. 'Set me free, your heaven's a lie. Set me free with your love. Set me free, yeah!' Bull." He spat, but regretted it later.

He'd just added more liquid to his prison cell. "Shit!" He forced the heel of his foot against the wall in frustration, but yelped as it hit the hard stone. "Ow…"

He'd woken up in here. All he remembered were a pair of crimson eyes, and that stupid snake, and Gaia cowering in fear. "Who is she?" he asked himself, waiting for an answer from Gaia.

No luck. The werehog was dead silent.

"Hello?" Sonic asked, wondering if he sounded crazy and getting very tempted to just give himself a good injury to wake up Gaia… "You there?" A pause. "Damn, I sound like I'm on hold." He sighed. "Gaia?"

_I'm here, _the creature answered within his mind. _What do you want?_

"Who's that lady?"

_Vapira is my trainer. If I don't obey her, I get punished._

"You mean like the silver thing?"

_Yes, like the silver fang she inserted into your neck. You really are bonded to me if that hurt, you know._

"I've had you for too long. Any relevance?"

_She sucks blood._

Sonic growled. "I…didn't need to hear that."

_That's why Aira hired her to look after me. _

"I don't get it."

_You wouldn't. Think about it though. Vapira, vampire, even _I _expected you to get that one._

Sonic felt like he was putting a puzzle together. Ew, he'd never had enough patience to do that. "Oh, I get it. But, what does that have to do with you?"

_I'm a werewolf. Vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies._

"Why?"

_I don't know! _Gaia snarled. _We just don't like each other. But, werewolves are far more common. Besides, we thought we'd wiped them out ages ago._

"Wait, wait. Press the rewind button on the VCR. Who the heck's Aira?"

_My mistress and my dearest love._ Gaia sighed.

"Wait…you're in love?!"

_Married, actually._

"_Married_?!" Sonic scoffed.

_Yes! Ever since the world began. I was first, and then the Great One created Light, or Aira. And then we fell in love. But, Light was meant to be separated from Darkness. We always fought to be together, though. We meet at dusk. Only, that man, who upset the Chaos balance…_

"Eggman," Sonic bared his teeth, his emerald eyes glowing faintly.

_Yeah, him. He unleashed me and cursed the Dusk with my powers._

"Dusk? You mean me?" Sonic questioned stupidly.

_Yes! _

"Why me?"

_You can control the Chaos force by using the Emeralds, our children, to gain power. _

"You mean Super Sonic?"

_I mean him exactly. That demigod is a representation of Dusk, where Dark and Light meet. When Eggman…he sounds tasty…_

Sonic licked his lips, starting to get hungry. "From your point of view, he kind of does…" But, he shook himself of it. "I'd kill for a chili dog right now…anyway go on!" He urged.

_Right. When Eggman upset that balance, Aira was flung across the planet and I was forced within the vessel Dusk, AKA you, and you are forced to bear me._

"Sucks for me," Sonic muttered, shaking the chains. Despite the feast he'd had, he was really starting to feel empty inside. That comment the werehog had made about Eggman sounding tasty really roused his hunger. "I haven't really had anything to eat…" he mused. "Only through you have I eaten."

_That's true. You're disconnecting yourself and we're becoming separate, at least upon this matter. You're gaining control, but it's nothing I can't reverse. _Gaia seemed haughty.

"Don't you reverse this!" Sonic answered, growling. "I'm digging it!" Though he sighed when his stomach began to complain. He felt like he hadn't had a decent meal in ages. Though, in this form, he wasn't as thirsty and that was a plus. "I could _still_ go for a chili dog," he groaned.

Presently, the cell door opened and Vapira stood in the doorway, a black raven perched on her outstretched hand. "You're learning to be separate from him," she purred, her eyes glowing a deep, bloody red as she turned to profile while stroking her raven. The bird's dark, almost purple eyes didn't leave Sonic's form. "Are you ready to release Gaia?"

Sonic bared his teeth and snarled, shaking and straining at the iron chains. "Let me out of these chains and I'll _release _him all right!" And a deafening growl reverberated throughout the prison. It made the dark bird squawk and flee to the rafters. Sonic even trembled at it!

But, Vapira merely leaned against the entrance and looked upward as the echoes reached her ears. "I'm afraid Aira never told you why she hired me, Gaia." The smile across her face became sadistic as the silver fang glinted in the dim lighting. Sonic blinked as if blinded and squinted at her. "It's because I'm fearless to an absurd degree. "Yes, that means I'm crazy. Crazy enough not to flee when you have your temper tantrums, something your species is bound to have…"

This forced a reaction from the werehog and Sonic let it out. A dry snarl of distaste crossed his lips and reached the rafters. The raven shuddered and Vapira grinned wider. Obviously, this was an insult against werewolves as a species.

"And, apparently," she sighed. "Crazy enough to bring you back to your mistress alive. Boy,"

Sonic assumed that she was talking to him and looked up, partially disconnecting himself from Gaia. He liked the contentedness the werehog still possessed, but ignored the aversion to silver as he once again faced Vapira.

"You're not strong enough to find darkness in the light. In other words, you cannot become the werehog you are until its nighttime. So, don't make empty threats. That's a sign of stupidity." Vapira's kindly face took on a sinister seriousness to it.

Sonic snarled. "Whatever. What do you want with me…er Gaia…?!"

"Haven't you been listening?" Vapira threw up her hands in frustration. "I'm under orders to bring him back to Aira alive, and if that means taking you along with him, well…" Vapira shrugged. "You won't be getting in the way if you're dead." And with that, Vapira turned to depart. "Come, my dear pet. We have much work to do." Her hand stretched out for the raven, who flew to her hand and landed there. Sonic pulled against the restraints again and she purred with amusement. "Sleep tight, young one, for tomorrow the real work begins."

Sonic gave up struggling for the moment and waited for the night to come.


	14. Death

Death

_Ugh. My stomach was growling mercilessly. I was hungry and tired._

_Gaia seemed stronger, but unwilling._

_Who was Vapira to scare him so?_

Sonic was weak.

Now fully disconnected from Gaia, he was suffering from a severe case of famine. But, what could he do? After all, he was only a medium, a representation, Dusk. A meeting between night and day.

The hedgehog closed his eyes to sleep, letting his chin drop against his chest. He was cold, and, as he looked down at himself, he saw the tawny fur on his belly receding as dark outlines indicated where his ribs showed. The werehog, of course, was still filled by his feast, but he, still connected to Sonic in some ways, suffered from this aching feeling too.

_I want you to eat_, complained the werehog. _It's hard to be content when you suffer._

Sonic opened one dull green eye and forced a laugh weakly. He felt the horrid emptiness as he moved, but when the relaxing thoughts of dreamland set in and chili dogs filled his mind, his belly merely rumbled.

At first, it had felt like a healthy hunger. Sonic, if you wanted to think about it thoroughly, was a junior in high school, though he'd never been to one. Seventeen years of age, and, as if his superpower didn't already curse him with a forever empty stomach, he was at that age where boys tend to eat. A lot.

But, no more did it feel like a healthy hunger, like one you get before you're about to eat. No, it felt like fasting now. Though his stomach still rumbled, he'd almost come to accept this. He groaned as the organ rapped against his chest and closed the eye that had opened. "Leave me alone, Gaia. I'm sleepy, so let me lie."

Gaia sighed. _You worry me. Please, take some of my strength._

"No way I'm…" Sonic spoke limply.

_Do it. If you don't, you'll pass into unconsciousness._

Too late. Sonic was already in an unconscious state and far beyond it. He was already dreaming of different times and different places. The werehog stirred the body, trying to get his host to reawaken.

_Dusk? Dusk! _The werehog huffed with impatience, trying his last resort. _Sonic!_

"Whaaat?" Moaned Sonic, gingerly moving his aching body.

_Be careful. I fear you will die from starvation._

Sonic's eyes rolled into his head. He couldn't think straight, and his vision was slowly going black again. "Since when did you ever care about anything, Gaia?"

The werehog had absolutely no time to answer because Vapira entered, a whip firmly in hand. A sleek black cobra replaced the raven today. "Well, young one? Are you ready to work?" The snake slithered from her arm to her neck and hissed, flaring its hood.

Sonic snarled as, with a click of the cat lady's heel, he was released from his shackles and into the water below. "I can barely stand, much less walk! _Work_?! How do you expect me to _work_?! He retorted, weakly getting to his feet.

"That's easy." Vapira grinned sadistically, and Sonic's ears flattened. He knew he was going to regret asking that question. The golden-eyed cat's eyes turned red as, with a flourish of her skinny, gnarled hand, she'd produced a fat, dripping chilidog.

Sonic felt his knees grow weak and buckle upon the sight of it. _Now _he felt he length of time it had been since his last meal that _he_ had eaten, and he was horribly aware of how delicious it smelled. He licked his lips, and even Gaia seemed tempted.

"Work good and long, and you can have _all the chilidogs you want_." Vapira cackled, watching him grow weak and sink into the water again at the sight of his favorite food.

_I swear it's a trick._ Gaia warned. _Don't trust her_.

"I don't." Sonic muttered under his breath, indulging in the thick, sweet scent of safe meat in the air. "But, I _do_ trust chilidogs."

_You're pathetic_. The werehog rolled his eyes. Sonic, of course, could tell.

"Look who's talking." He muttered, attention once again gravitating towards the delicious food.

Vapira waved it temptingly, as if she's tied a bone before a little dog. "Follow me, young one. Your work begins."

(())

_See? I _told_ you not to trust her._

"I _told_ you," Sonic huffed, doing the job of a mule by pulling a grinding stone, "I _never _trusted _her_."

_Of course not. You went with that selfish black hole you call a stomach!_

Sonic was just about ready to break down and cry. His bones were aching, his muscles strained from unreasonable amounts of work, and his stomach beyond empty. Now this entity, who had _caused_ this suffering, was yelling at _him_?! "Can you blame me?!" He choked, holding back a sob. "I'm aching in places I never thought I could ache, and my stomach is unreasonably empty! Don't _yell_ at me!"

_Don't start crying now. I suppose I can't blame you, since even I feel your suffering. It will affect my form tonight._

"Oh _perfect_!" The teenage hedgehog snapped, dropping the harness he'd been using to pull the grinding stone. "My strongest transformation yet, and even _you_ fall to pieces at…!"

"Daddy!"

Sonic pricked his ears. "That sounds like Elicia!"

_I smell fear._ Gaia told him.

Sonic gave himself to the werehog's canine-akin abilities. Her scent was clear to him, plain a day. Delicious in a new way; not as food, but as a young woman. He pinpointed her exact location and, despite the weakness curling its vice tighter about him like Vapira's cobra, sprang into action. He dashed across the grassy ground, feet beating the earth faster than he'd ever gone before. The wind whipped his ears until he was sure they were bleeding, every tendon in his already tense, overworked muscles was about ready to pop out of its socket, but still he was focused on his purpose.

Finding Elicia, and finding her _now_, that was his objective. And the only one that could've mattered to him.

He came upon an old well. The dampness in the air assured him there was still water down below. He strained his ears for her voice, rocking on his impatient heels.

"Daddy? Father, is that you?!" Her voice held bounce and fright. Sonic wondered if he could possibly be enough for her.

"Not quite, Elicia." He poked his head over the edge of the well, grabbing the rusty old bucket hanging from a pulley crank.

"Sonic!" The raccoon girl cried. "I missed you!"

The hedgehog threw down the bucket. "Grab a firm hold of it and I'll pull you up, okay?"

"Okay, Sonic!" Elicia eagerly grabbed hold of the bucket and Sonic pulled her up.

His arms were aching enough to bring tears to his eyes by the time she was safely beside him on grassy ground again. She stared at him innocently bright deep gray eyes flashing curiosity. "What are you doing out here? I thought you fled."

"Mmmm, change of plans." Sonic answered dismissively, resting his overworked body in the soft grass beneath him. "Ah, that's better. I haven't sat down in ages."

Elicia sat beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Father and I came out to the country to escape the destruction. We-I-didn't expect to find you here." She closed her eyes against his cobalt fur, and Sonic couldn't help the hot blush that crossed his face. "I thought I'd _never_ see you again!"

"Me either." Cobalt answered bashfully as the wind stirred both sets of fur.

Elicia traced a pattern through his soft chest fur. It felt nice, and Sonic leaned into it with a purr. It was nicer than he'd been treated for a long time. He relented to her calm motion, letting her touch just melt his pains away…until they all came rushing back five seconds later.

Two dark figures approached.

"Elicia!" One growled.

"Sonic!" The other hissed.

"Father!" Elicia cried, jumping clean out of her stockings.

"Vapira!" Sonic's eyes grew wide at this cry. Suddenly, he wanted noting more than to tear her to pieces. He could feel Gaia stirring, ready to be released at his command for once.

"Elicia, how _dare_ you associate with that…that…_thing_!" Solomon's words burned his ears.

"A thing?" Sonic rose darkly, fur turning duller, thicker. Claws coming out of his gloves, longer and longer. Quills becoming sharp _knives_… "_A THING?!_" He roared, the full transformation coming out. "How _DARE_ you call me a thing!" And, with the swipe of his mighty paw, he knocked out Elicia's father.

Still half himself, he rounded on Vapira. As if he were diving into a bed of chilidogs, he jumped onto her, crushing her beneath him and clawing her into pieces until he screaming ceased. Then, he devoured any parts he wished messily, like a wolf at his kill. He didn't even notice Elicia's presence until her soft hand pressed against his back.

"So," she mused, pretending not to be afraid but trembling, "_this _is what you really are?"

Sonic swallowed and nodded, ashamed that she had to see him like he was now. Vapira was surprisingly delicious, though he could feel the burn of her last defense attacking the weak points of his body.

He had once again filled the wrong stomach.

Anguish caused him to cry out in a howl at a nonexistent moon, the silver fang embedded into his neck. Whether death had come from the poisonous blood that ran through Gaia's veins or his slashing, Vapira's final attack was doing more to him than he'd done to her.

And he was dying from it.

Elicia felt this and frantically searched through the thick fur (which was quickly receding in his weakened state, back to normal Sonic again) about his neck to find the silver fang. "Hold on, Sonic!" She breathed anxiously. "Please! Hold on! I love you, hold on! Please!"

There were those words. _I love you_. And Sonic held those words in his heart as the world faded to black and red.


	15. Elicia the Rose

**Elicia the Rose**

_Are you…going to take me far from here?_

_I want to know right now._

_Because I can't run away from what I've done,_

_But God dammit I can try!_

When Sonic came to, he felt a soft, mossy bed of grasses and lichen under his bones. He groaned as he tried to move, wondering where he was. The bones in his body were stiff, sunlight streaming down through the trees, causing shadows to play across his face. "Elicia…?" He groaned limply. "Elicia…" As her name passed his lips, he remembered what had happened, his memory playing before his closed eyelids as if it was sped up a few times.

He became the werehog of his own free will, he'd knocked out Solomon, he'd destroyed Vapira and given the werehog another feast. He'd been injured by Vapira's final defense; that awful silver fang. And Elicia had said that she loved him. Elicia…that beautiful raccoon who had been the first to welcome him since this journey. She didn't care what she was, she just loved him. Really, genuinely, loved him.

His teeth grinded together as his fingers passed over something rough and almost rusty to the touch, before he realized what this was. The cross Elicia had given him the last time they'd met. Sonic's eyes shot open and, despite his paralyzing injuries, he shot up, emerald eyes fearfully and rapidly assessing the situation.

Ooo, but did it hurt to be tense! Sonic winced against the pain in his lower back, arms, head, neck…everywhere, really. Even his eyes seemed in pain! One leg had moved slightly inward, and now it hurt to try and straighten it. His mind swarmed with images of the modestly dressed raccoon girl with the lively dark gray eyes, and he needed to know she was safe. "Elicia!" He called in a hoarse voice. "Elicia!"

Groaning against the strain in his poor, beaten, and disheveled body, he got to his feet. So unsteady that he wobbled upon an attempt at supporting his own weight, he began to walk slowly forward, leaning against trees and stumbling into shrubs as he went. "Gotta find her," he muttered, chest burning with the effort it took to move his severely malnourished body, "gotta see her, gotta find her. Make sure she's safe, don't stop moving, don't sleep, keep going, keep moving forward."

After stumbling along for about twenty feet, Sonic's legs gave up on supporting him. The malnourished, overworked, pained muscles could move his aching body no further. The Blue Blur fell to his knees and soon after upon his chest into the soft, slightly damp, grasses.

_Sonic?_ Gaia seemed concerned, the entity stirring bits of the body that didn't hurt to much to move. His tail, his eyelids, his ears, his fingers, anything to keep Sonic awake, alive, breathing. _Call out for her once more, Sonic. I beg of you, call her!_

Sonic chuckled. "And this," he panted, "is the same entity who proposed such a power like this! Who drove me to kill the woman Tortuga, those ministers, Vapira…" He trailed off, his voice beaten and unable to speak for much longer.

_Call her. _The werehog demanded. _Please._

Sonic nodded, lifting his head just a few inches off the ground. In a moan, he called out her name once more with the last breath his body could force him to breathe: "_Elicia_!" And fell to the ground to move no more.

Elicia, hearing his cries, followed the sound of them until she found him lying there face down in the grass. "Poor thing." She cooed, tossing her dark hair behind her shoulders. The white bonnet she'd used to hide her beautiful, multi-colored hair before had been discarded and it now flowed freely, shining silky in the light of the midafternoon sun. She gasped when she saw him, nearly dropping the harvest she carried with her in a woven basket.

"Oh, Sonic." She sighed, rolling up her sleeves and resting the basket in the crook of her elbow. "And here I am, little Red Ridinghood, walking right into the jaws of the Wolf." Lifting him up into her surprisingly strong arms, she carried him back to the other spot and began to prepare a meal for him, anxiously awaiting his next conscious moments.

ßßß

_Getaway, runaway, fly away _

_Lead me astray, to dreamer's hideaway _

_I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more _

_I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world _

_Forgive me, _

_I have but two faces _

_One for the world, _

_One for God _

_Save me_

_I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more _

_I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world._

When Sonic next came to, it was the smell of both food and Elicia that woke him. "Ah," he murmured, slowly peeping an emerald beauty out to the world, "so my angelic little rose decides to make an appearance? And with food, no doubt!" He couldn't help but feel elated because of this. For too long, he had eaten to fill another's stomach…and now his own needed to be full of food.

"Good afternoon, sunshine." Teased Elicia, quietly looking up from her work and pressing her inky black with a red undertone hair behind her shoulders. The locks were so beautiful and thick that Sonic was stuck staring at them for a while in awe as he eased himself up on his elbows. "Easy, easy." The raccoon's delicate gray hands moved to pin him down, black fingers dancing in midair, touching the shocks of fur teased upright on his tan chest. "Relax. You can just barely move. I want you to use your strength for something more important now."

Sonic sighed deeply, glad to recline and repose. But, what could be more important to store his energy for? "Elicia…" Oh, did her name taste delicious! Like apple pie, or something. Just saying it made Sonic's frantic heart beat slower, quieter. He began to unwind at her gentle command.

"The…beast…" Sonic was alarmed to hear her say the word "beast". His eyes flew open in fear for her life. But, her dark eyes showed only concern, not fear. "…is it…full?" She seemed to not know how to speak, her fingers touching her lower lip uncertainly, eyes widening.

This did not seem the girl he had known before. She'd grown up considerably, if not on the outside, then on the inside for sure. Sonic scratched behind his ears absently. "Yeah, I don't think he'll need to eat for a while." As if to back up this fact, the werehog mentally said his peace: _I'm full indeed. If only Dusk would eat…_

_Quiet._ "Elicia? How's your father doing?" Sonic cradled his head with his arms, observing her poor a steaming stew (which was what he must've smelled) into a carved wooden bowl.

Elicia became silent, her eyes on the vegetables in the bowl before her. "Probably looking for me now. I ran as far as I could carry you, but…" She sighed mournfully. "I am weak, and cannot carry another body far."

The blue hedgehog was startled to hear this. He sat up and pressed a hand to her furry cheek. "You carried me?"

"Yes." Elicia smiled and looked up at him, taking his hand off her cheek and placing it, along with the other gloved hand, to cradle the bowl of stew she pressed into his palms. "Now eat! You must be starved. And, night will soon fall." Indeed, the sun was already beginning to disappear behind the treetops.

Sonic gulped down the warm food eagerly, but didn't fail to notice Elicia's hesitation. "He won't hurt you." Sonic vowed.

She offered a sad smile. "No, that's not it. I'm feeling…odd. Like, something's wrong, but I can't put my finger on it."

"The world is broken." Sonic answered, nodding gravely. "Dark Gaia was let loose and…he's in me." He kept his eyes on the center of the bowl where a droplet of water shimmered like a single star therein. "But, he won't hurt you, not ever. He _can't_…" The calm in his voice became a sharp growl as he promised herorically. "If he does...I don't care if it hits me, too!"

This startled Elicia and she let out a cry. "Sonic, you _can't_ be thinking of…?"

But, it seemed that he was. "I'd _die_! I'd _kill_ myself! I'd-I'd-!" Sonic was shushed by two warm, skinny, gray arms pressing him against another body. Elicia hid her face in his chest, her eyes filling with tears that fell upon his fur, the droplets of salty water running down the strands like raindrops.

"Sonic, no! I couldn't _bear_ to lose you!" Elicia sobbed. "I don't _care_ about the beast, because it _won't_ hurt me! I love you, and that means I'll accept whatever you become!" She lay defenseless there against his body, and Sonic wrapped his arms around her as the sun went down.

Wincing against the transformation, he stood with his furry arms wrapped around the small child in his arms. "It's okay," he said in the parody of his own voice, "I would never do anything to harm you."

Elicia looked up into the green eyes of her love. "I-I trust you." She replied shakily, her tears still rocking her body.

"Good." The werehog turned to the side and lowered himself down. "Get on." He grunted. "We've got a long way to go."

Elicia, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes, nodded yes and jumped onto his back.

"Hang on!" The werehog growled, before Sonic used his re-fueled body to transcend into speed, even while in his werehog form.

_Getaway, runaway, fly away _

_Lead me astray, to dreamer's hideaway _

_I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more _

_I cannot die, I, the whore for the cold world _

_Forgive me, I have but two faces _

_One for the world, _

_One for God save me_

_I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more _

_I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world _

_Whore for the cold world _

_Whore for the cold world _

**Lyrics: Poet and the Pendulum**

**Artist: Nightwish**


End file.
